1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication method in a wireless network, and more particularly, to a communication method for upgrading software over a wireless network.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Networks include large-scale networks providing global scale connectivity, such as wired or wireless Internet, and small-scale wired or wireless networks for connecting electric appliances in a restricted space such as a home or office. As network types continue to be diversified, interface techniques for performing communication between a network and a network or between a device and a device have also been diversified.
In recent years, a BLUETOOTH or Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN) technique of establishing a wireless network between a relatively small number of digital devices in a restricted space such as a home or small office and exchanging audio or video data between the devices has been developed. The WPAN may be used to exchange infoimation over short distances between a relatively small number of digital devices so as to achieve low power consumption and low-cost communication between the digital devices.
FIG. 1 is a view showing an example of a Wireless Video Area Network (WVAN) which is one type of WPAN. The WVAN is a wireless network established between digital devices in a restricted space within a distance of 10 m, such as a home, which ensures throughput of 4.5 Gbps or more with a bandwidth of about 7 GHz and supports streaming of uncompressed 1080p A/V content.
Referring to FIG. 1, the WVAN is composed of two or more user devices 11 to 15 and one of the devices operates as a coordinator 11. The coordinator 11 serves to provide basic timing of the WVAN and to control Quality of Service (QoS) requirements. Examples of the devices include all digital devices such as a computer, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a laptop computer, a digital television set, a camcorder, a digital camera, a printer, a microphone, a speaker, a headset, a barcode reader, a display, and a mobile phone.
The WVAN is an ad hoc network which is not designed and established in advance, but is established as necessary without the help of a central infrastructure. A process of establishing one WVAN will now be described in detail. The WVAN is started when a certain device, which may operate as a coordinator, performs the function of a coordinator. All the devices perform scanning before a new WVAN is started or before associating with the existing WVAN. Scanning refers to a process of, at a device, collecting and storing information about channels and determining whether a previously established WVAN is present. A device which receives an instruction for starting a WVAN from an upper layer establishes a new WVAN without associating with a WVAN which is previously established on a certain channel. The device selects a channel with less interference based on data acquired by the scanning process and broadcasts a beacon via the selected channel, thereby starting the WVAN. The beacon is control information which is broadcast by the coordinator in order to control and manage the WVAN, such as timing allocation information and information about the other devices within the piconet.
Almost all digital devices require software such as a microcomputer or CPU firmware in order to control the operations of the devices. In addition, the digital devices require software for implementing a communication protocol between devices, in order to associate with the WVAN so as to perform communication with other devices. Software for each device is steadily upgraded.
If software of a specific device is upgraded, a user must install the upgraded software in the device. If one user uses a large number of digital devices, it is cumbersome for a user to access a website of a manufacturer of each device and update software whenever software updates become available.